David Correa's research looks at biological structures and processes as a source of insight for the development of new fabrication processes and advanced materials. The research aims at implementing state of the art digital fabrication tools (robotic manipulators, 3D printers and CNC milling) to develop innovative and high-performance design solutions for industrial and architectural applications. Current inter-disciplinary research initiatives include weather responsive shape active facade components (in collaboration with BASF and Plant Biomechanics group at Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg), large scale bio-based cellulose 3D printing (University of British Columbia) and advanced robotic fabrication of timber structures (Centre for Advanced Wood Processing and School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture, UBC). David is a Design Partner at llLab, an experimental design collaboration based in Shanghai and he is also completing is Doctorate in Engineering at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) under the supervision of Professor Achim Menges at the University of Stuttgart. David initiated and led the research field of Bio-inspired 3D Printed Programmable Material Systems at the ICD and he was program coordinator for the Integrated Technologies and Architectural Design Research (ITECH MSc) at the University of Stuttgart (2013-15).
Core teaching areas include Bio-inspired Design, Advanced Manufacturing, Architectural Visualization & Analysis and Programmable Materials for Architecture.